Two Anniversaries -- Elvis and JP

Saturday night at the Quarry House Tavern we'll be celebrating two big rockabilly dates -- well, one big one and one small one -- Elvis' 75th birthday, and the 10th anniversary of the first time I ever appeared in public as JP McDermott

The events of January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi would be far-reaching -- Elvis went on to change the popular music of the entire planet. The events of January 9, 2000 in Rosslyn, Virginia were near-reaching -- the DC music scene got another good rockabilly band to keep things rocking into the 21st century.

That first performance was at the Tex Mex Grill in Rosslyn, VA. I was the featured showcase artist in Kenny Haddaway's (very influential) open mic. It was one full set with Kenny on bongos and Terence McArdle on guitar. I can’t quite remember if we had anyone on bass that night. I do know I was in the studio with Eric Shramek soon after that. The first song we played was Warren Smith’s great “Rock and Roll Ruby”.

The show at the Quarry House Tonight will be a celebration of both events – Elvis’ and mine. The QHT is the home of the 200+ item beer list, tater tots, a funky little dance floor, a great crowd, and rockabilly every week. It's always your best Saturday night bet, so come on out!

Hyattsville to Hagerstown

This past weekend was packed with action, starting Friday night with three sets of rockabilly, honky tonk, classic country, and just a hint of twelve tone structuralism at the Surf Club. We were joined by Phil Matthieu on guitar, which is always a treat. He's an all-around great musician, playing with Ruthie & The Wranglers, in the pit orchestra for major Broadway musicals coming through town, and as an in-demand classical soloist. Phil plays a mean "Besame Mucho" and we caught it on tape -- you'll be able to hear it soon on our MySpace page.

It was a friendly crowd with lots of dancing -- just what I love to see. In fact, I got a chance to dance a little bit myself when the two stars from the Four Star Combo (Andrew Ladson and Matt Todd) took the stage for a number -- an intense version of "Lonesome Train". I first heard them do this late one night after the Quarry House had closed, and was glad to get them up on stage for it.

Saturday we packed up the tour bus (actually it was my Prius) and headed for Hempen Hill BBQ in Hagerstown. The drive out there is a breeze when there's no traffic around Frederick -- about 70 minutes from Silver Spring, door to door. Hempen Hill is a swell place -- a fairly new family-owned restaurant with good barbecue and tons of room to dance. There are wood floors throughout the place, and they move the tables out of the way once we get going. A good contingent of dancers turned out from Hagerstown and nearby Pennsylvania. Some of these folks could really cut a rug. One couple in particular had some really cool lifts and aerials -- we get to see all kinds of interesting dancing when we play. We're back at Hempen Hill in August and can't wait!

This picture doesn't really have anything to do with the rest of this post -- it was taken a couple of weeks back at the Quarry House, but I like it, so I figured I'd drop it in here. I may use this for posters and promo for future solo shows.

Thanks for dropping by the blog. Leave a comment if you like, and be sure to come see us at a show soon!

The Stand Finale and Wonderland

We finished up the Three Week Stand at the Quarry House on Saturday night. A fine time was had by all on both sides of the microphone. Andrew Ladson (from the Four Star Combo) made a cool poster you see on the left.

Coincidentally, Andrew won the raffle fair and square. The grand prize was free passes to every Rockabilly Saturday Night for the rest of the year. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy -- and he'll definitely get the most out of it -- he's there most weeks supporting the scene.

My favorite song of the night was Hank Williams' "Ramblin' Man" -- a nice minor-key number with a different feel from what normally do. We've played it once or twice in the last five years, but I think it may hit the main rotation for a little while.

Thanks to everyone who made it out to the Stand. We won't be back at the QHT again until May 24 (for a two week stand) and then the regular schedule kicks back in .

Sunday night was time for Falling Off The Wagon, Michael Jantz's series at the Wonderland Ballroom. Wonderland is a great corner bar in DC. The crowd there is very friendly and diverse, and the Sunday shows are always fun, but this crowd was especially great. You could just tell everyone wanted to relax and have a great time. First up was the aforementioned Four Star Combo, delivering a fine set of rockabilly. The crowd warmed right up to them, lots of toe tapping and warm applause.

I was wondering what I was going to play -- this was a rare solo show for me, and I wasn't quite sure how to follow a full band. I still didn't know what to start with when Michael got up to introduce me -- I can't remember exactly what he said, but it was a great big buildup about me being a rockabilly singer, so I figured I'd better sing some rockabilly. I jumped right in with "Rock and Roll Ruby" -- you rarely go wrong with a Warren Smith tune. Worked just like a charm. Within a few minutes people were up dancing and having a great time. I played a little bit of everything -- some Johnny Cash, some Fats Domino, some Wynn Stewart, and a lot more rockabilly. Things really got jumping when Michael through in some percussion and Chris Nemour joined in with harmonica. This picture (provided by the lovely Justina) gives you some sense of what was going on.

All-in-all it was one of the most exhilirating solo shows I've done. I played for about an hour straight, and concluded with a couple of encores.

If you're ever looking for a good time on a Sunday night, stop by and see Michael Jantz at Wonderland starting about 8:00. The music is different every week, but always high quality. It's a great joint, and a good time.

Coming up this weekend -- The Surf Club on Friday and out to Hempen Hill BBQ in Hagerstown on Saturday. See you out there!

Week Two of the Three Week Stand at the QHT

Another hot night at the Quarry House. I suspected it would be a little crazy -- it just seemed like it would be one of those nights, and it was.

My lifelong best friend, Al, was in town from Atlanta. We formed our first band together way way back in the olden days. He was the guy who turned me on to Gene Vincent, Robert Gordon, and Link Wray. This guy knows rockabilly, and has a very popular channel on YouTube (Gatorrock786), featuring the largest collection of Collins Kids videos on the internet among many other things.

One of the most important events of my musical life was when Al and I ventured all the way to Bethesda to go to the PsycheDelly and see rockabilly god Tex Rubinowitz. We drank a lot of cheap beer and went nuts to the raw power of Tex. That was an inspiration that's been with me to this day.

So it was only fitting with Al in town that Western Bop should pull out a full Tex tribute. After all, we do have Dr. Bob Newscaster -- he was in the original band that Tex recorded with, and shares songwriting credits with him. When you've got the weapons, you've got to use them.

Here's the set list from that segment of the show:

Ain't It Wrong
Flood of Love
No One Left to Turn To
Everybody's been Lovin' My Baby
Feelin' Right Tonight
Red Cadillac and a Black Mustache
Bad Boy
and of course, Hot Rod Man

If missed it, and want to get a taste, you can see a video of "Hot Rod Man" here.

The third set was a blast, too. Phil Matthieu took over the lead guitar duties and really blew us all away. Phil and I have worked out a couple of parts, and he's a real joy to work with.

Lots of regulars turned out (Suzanne, Justina, Margaret -- it is always a real pleasure to see your smiling faces). We had Andrew and John from the Four Star Combo sit in for a few numbers which is always fun.

By the end of the night the whole place was up and dancing like mad -- just like back in the day at the PsycheDelly.

Can't wait for Week Three!

JV's -- First Thursday of April

A really fun show last night. We had Eric Shramek on bass, one of the best slap players around -- and he had to slap like hell, because our drummer, Tom came down with the currently rampant horrible stomach virus on his way to the gig.

We always figure we might play the first few numbers as a trio at JV's since it starts up right at 9:00 and Tom doesn't close the liquor store until 8:30. So 9:00 rolled around and Eric, Bob, and I launched into "Today I Started Loving You Again". We got literally one measure into it when Tom shows up looking as grey as the weather outside and says, "I'm not well. I threw up four times between work and here". I encouraged Tom to take the night off, as rockabilly and stomach viruses don't mix well. So he headed home, and we kept on playing the song, and finished out all three sets as a trio.

I have to say it was a ton of fun. Some highlights for me were playing songs you'd never think could be done that way, like Fats Domino tunes without drums, piano, or sax. A really good song can stand up to nearly any arrangement. Bob did Chuck Berry's "Memphis" for the first time I can remember. We hit the country tunes a little more often than usual, which was fun. Long-time Western Bop fans will remember that Eric was the original bass player in the band, and that we did a lot of country in those days. In fact, Eric and I once did an entire three set rockabilly brunch as a duo in a coffee shop!

There were plenty of interesting people coming in out of the cold rain. It was good to see all the fine folks, especially Julia (a fine dancer), and Eric (the JV's regular), and the guy who sits up front with the glasses and gave me a good recommendation for a Warren Zevon tune. There was a nice couple from Bethesda getting their first taste of Western Bop -- I'm hoping we'll see them out and about soon.

We're at JV's the first Thursday of every month. It's always a good time. You should come see us there next time, May 1st.

Can't wait for the next show -- Saturday at the QH with an extra dose of Tex Rubinowitz tunes!